


A Hero's Choice

by melanoms



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoms/pseuds/melanoms
Summary: After saving the world with a fateful snap, Tony Stark is presented with a choice from Death herself: go back or go on? Will he make the right call?
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Kudos: 7





	A Hero's Choice

He did it. 

They won.

But if that was the case, why was he standing over his dead body? Why was he watching his hand fall from his chest? Leaving Pepper’s alone.

Hovering over the ghost of a nonexistent glow.

Tony sucked in a breath at the sight of his own lifeless eyes. Still adorning the gilded colors of his suit, his ethereal form was unchanged from his moment of death. As if the rhythm of time was completely undisturbed by his absence from the earth.

He brushed his cheek as Pepper leaned in to kiss the face of the body in front of him. 

But no, he couldn’t feel it. 

Dead men don’t get to feel.

But if that was the case, why did it feel like this moment would never end? Why couldn’t he tear his gaze from the team, the family, that mourned him before his very eyes? Leaving him alone.

Hovering as the ghost of a nonexistent man.

“God, this is hell,” he whispered, eyes transfixed on the cursed and aching living.

“No, hell is far worse.”

Tony spun around upon the intrusion to his solitude. Mouth slightly agape, he narrowed his eyes to examine the source of the melodious call. 

Hands clasped behind her back, a slender woman took a step towards him. Her pale skin radiated a haunting, burning glow. Bandages of black wrapped around her to clothe her body in sacred robes. Yet, the hemline dissolved into smoke upon the ground, as if desperate to return to the land of the living.

Tony’s eyes darted around in a futile attempt to understand the mystery in front of him. He looked in the air to see that the once drifting rubble was now frozen in the sky. He whipped around to see Pepper’s lips pressed to his face. But like his body, no one was moving.

All of time stopped...just for him.

He turned back to the ghastly woman and shook out his shoulders. Firmly planting one foot in front of the other, he shot out his undamaged arm; ready for a fight.

“What did you do to them?” he growled. 

Tony grit his teeth. But the creature before him only tilted her head to the side. 

Her eyes slowly traced the outline of his body. Satisfied with her initial examination, she returned her head upright and blinked once before piercing her gaze into his eyes.

His body went stiff at the cold, calculating look. His mind raced with questions, most of which would never be answered.

He squinted. She wasn’t blinking. But unsure if the staring contest was real or entirely made up in his head, Tony lost and his eyelids betrayed him.

After an agonizing moment of silence, the woman nodded. The muscles in her face softened and she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Anthony Edward Stark,” she said, “you are dead.”

Tony’s upper lip twitched, burdened by the fresh truth.

“Yeah, didn’t need the grim reaper to tell me that.”

“Oh, I’m not the Reaper.” She softly shook her head. “I am merely an angel of death.”

The words left her lips with the purest enunciation. She strode towards him. The muscles in Tony’s shoulder tensed. But she placed two fingers on top of his forearm.

“That won’t do you any good.” She raised her eyebrows.

He figured. But reluctantly disarmed by lowering his arm. He shook out his shoulders to stand upright. The angel took a step back so she was standing in front of him.

“I’m here to offer you a hero’s choice.”

“If you’re going to take me to heaven, I’ll pass. Far too vanilla for my taste.”

She chuckled and glanced downwards. Shaking her head, she clarified, “No, Mr. Stark. I’m offering to bring you back.”

Tony’s eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat. He lowered his gaze to the ground, eyes locked on an especially fascinating clump of dirt.

“Take me, take me back?” Then he looked at his dead self and back to the angel. “You’re saying that I can, that I can—”

“Return to them.”

Tony shook his head and wrapped his hand around the back of his neck. His throat released a light scoff that transformed into a pained chuckle.

“The powers above me have seen your sacrifice and wish to commend you. So, Mr. Stark. The hero’s choice is yours. You can come with me to the next phase of your journey. Or,” she nodded to the suspended scene behind him, “you can go home.”

“Is this a joke?”

“I am fundamentally incapable of joking.”

Tony threw his hand over his mouth and swallowed. What kind of twisted cosmic prank was this? Was it really an option? He could go back. He could _really_ go back. The last ten years proved to him that we aren’t alone. Why wouldn’t this also be possible? Why couldn’t it be possible? For him?

Morgan wouldn’t have to grow up without him. He could be there to help her navigate the new reality of the world. Everything could work out exactly the way it’s supposed to. He could win. Not the world, not the Avengers, him.

He, Anthony Edward Stark, could also win.

He threw his hands behind his head and took a sharp inhale. 

“I-I—” But before he could complete a coherent sentence, he buried his hands in his face to let out a muffled cry. It was almost too good to be true.

It was almost too good to be true. It was almost.

Too good.

To be true.

It was too good to be true.

Tony Stark was a brilliant man. But no man, not even him, could be so arrogant as to think that he could cheat death itself. Even when she stood right in front of him.

“No,” Tony gasped, shaking his head in his hands. He rose his face to look upon the angel, redness staining the whites of his eyes. “I can’t go back.”

“Are you sure?” Her soft eyes pleaded to him. He stared into her unrelenting gaze. She didn’t blink. Tony took a deep breath, allowed his eyelids to close, and lowered his head.

“I,” he swallowed, “can’t. Even I know that.”

He looked back at her. Through trembling lips, he made his choice. His hero’s choice.

“It’s time for me to cut the wire.”

The angel smiled and gave him a nod, slowly closing and opening her eyes as he did.

“Well done, Mr. Stark. You are a hero indeed.”

She outstretched her arm and unfurled her palm, her invitation for him to come with her. Tony started to raise his hand from his side. But sharply withdrew it.

“This was a trick. It was some kind of sick trick. Just who do you think you are?” He jabbed a finger towards her. She retracted her arm back to her side and tilted her chin in the air. 

“I am an angel of death. Here to help you along to your next phase of existence.”

“No, no. I’m not going with you. I’m not going back. But I’m not going with you. What’s waiting for me if this is how you get me there?”

“It’s not a trick, but a test.” She raised her eyebrows. “And you passed.”

He leaned forward and cocked his head to the side. Through gritted teeth, he growled. 

“What’s the point of your stupid test if I’m just going to die anyway. You could have spared me the theatrics. What’s next? Deal with the devil?”

“I believe your, what you call ‘wizard’ friend already cast him out.”

Tony’s knuckles went white as he balled his hands into fists. His jaw was so tight, he thought he might chip a tooth. Not that he needed it anymore. Seething rage, he roared at her, the echo of his voice reverberated through their frozen moment in time.

“WHAT WAS THE GODDAM POINT!”

He threw his hands into the air and stomped toward her. Nostrils flaring, his face was just a breath away from hers. However, the angel took no notice of his close proximity. Her expression was completely unchanged. He upturned his lip in a snarl. 

“What did I get from this?”

“Morgan,” she replied.

Tony’s breath caught in his throat and he staggered backward. He gulped and parted his lips for another attack. But she raised a hand to command him to stop.

“The hero’s choice was never a choice. But a test,” she admitted. “You passed.”

Tony narrowed his eyes.

“And in return, we send one of ours to protect your own.”

“You’re saying—”

“Yes. As a token of gratitude for your service to the earth, your daughter,” she raised her eyebrows, “will receive an angel to protect her.”

Tony took a few heaving breaths. His eyes widened and he blinked rapidly, trying to soak in every word.

“They will hide in plain sight. They will let her make mistakes. But should her life be threatened, they _will_ intervene. Now,” she took a deep breath, “will you come with me?”

She outstretched her hand to him. Tony took a few trembling steps forward. He raised his hand until it was almost in her palm. But before accepting his true fate, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

Even without him there, Morgan had her own protector. Everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to. He did win. Not just the world, not just the Avengers, him.

He, Anthony Edward Stark, also got to win.

Then, he carefully placed his hand on top of the angel’s.

Knowing that he could now, in fact, rest in peace.


End file.
